Mediterranean homes have always fascinated us. They look beautiful and grand, especially when the house comes with such majestic pillars, a stately front entrance, high balconies framed with wrought-iron and dome ceilings. The striking combination of whites and bold hues of blue, mustard, copper and red is always eye-catching.
As you probably know, when working on the landscape of a house we must take into consideration a lot of things. At first, it seems that working on a house is a simple job to accomplish because the area is smaller than that of commercial spaces. However, in creating a home garden we have to study certain details since home gardens tend to be much closer to the structure of the house. Hence, we must choose plants that can complement the style of the house.
We certainly had a lot of fun when we recently did the gardens of two Mediterranean houses. The first project was a house in Pasig City, which is finished in alabaster white and brick-red. We chose plants that can blend perfectly with this type of finish. The Dates Palm (Phoenix dactylifera), which is as tall as the second level of the house, has long, graceful fronds and textured trunks. We used a few of these trees to reflect the grandness of this house. The trees also effectively showcase the architecture, especially when they’re planted on both sides of the house.
In landscaping, we use variations of height in plants and levels of planting. This is done to create the appearance of a voluminous garden. It is also a good way of maximizing space, especially when the space allotment for a garden is rather small. The plant boxes at the front garden are made of copper-colored bricks which are complemented by the Eugenia (Syzigium oleina) and Picarra (Excoecaria cochinchinensis) shrubs. The shrubs have red and tangerine leaves mixed with different shades of green. Ensconced in one of the plant boxes is a grouping of Forget-Me-Not (Plumbago auriculata) flowers. Behind these blue flowers stands a mosaic wall composed of blue tiles.
Bordering the plant boxes on the ground are a line of Santan shrubs. The Dwarf Santan variety produces bigger-shaped flowers and the leaves are elongated. To complement the copper-look of the bricks, we opted for orange and golden types of the Dwarf Santan (Ixora).
The back lawn is filled with lush tropical plants. You might wonder about this sudden change from Mediterranean to tropical, but the truth is most tropical flora can survive in the Mediterranean setting too. And given the expanse of the house and the lawn, it is only fitting to incorporate plants that create a voluminous look. For this particular arrangement, we placed Foxtail Palms (Wodyetia bifurcata), Madagascar Palms (Dypsis madagascariensis), and Traveller’s Palms (Ravenala madagascariensis) to create a hedge of tall plants that also serves as a buffer to air and noise pollution. At the base of these palms are a variety of plants such as the Red Ginger (Alpinia purpurata), Parrot’s Flower (Heliconia psittacorum), Tobacco plants (Calathea lutea) and Silver Pandakaki (Tabernaemontana pandacaqui). These plants effectively add to the lushness of the landscape.
The second Mediterranean house we worked on is located in Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas. This residence has an atrium garden between the main house and the guest cottage. The path that connects them is covered with stone slates and gray-coloured pebbles. On either side are plantings of Selloum (Philodendron selloum), Bangkok Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola), Rhapis palms (Rhapis excelsa), and Golden Lilies (Crinum xanthophyllum). With the exception of the Golden Lilies, which are widely used in resort landscapes, these types of plants are shade or indoor plants. At the end of this wall stands a Vietnamese jar, which serves as a quaint accent in this small intimate garden.
In my coffee table book titled “Philippine Gardens by Shirley Sanders: Silver Edition,” we dedicated an entire chapter to garden accents. One of which is the jar, into which can contain bouquets of flowers and even whole plants. Depending on the size, we can just about place anything in a jar.
Thus for this house, we placed large jars containing brightly-colored crinums. Golden Crinums (Crinum xanthophyllum) and Green Crinums (Crinum asiaticum) spread their flowing leaves as if to welcome guests. They stand opposite a Terracotta brick wall whose attractive color and texture complement the plant arrangement we did. Meanwhile, the flooring is made of kudo stones embedded in cement, which resembles a ground mosaic.
The path continues to the rear garden which has an infinity pool and a view of the Punta Fuego golf course and the sea beyond. Thailand Bamboos (Thyrsostachys siamensis) are ensconced on one side of the pool. The bamboo’s fresh green leaves are a perfect match to the pool’s deep blue water. Planted at the base of the bamboos are Yellow Irish (Iris pseudacorus) shrubs that blossom into bright yellow flowers.
For your questions on gardens and landscaping, email me at gardensbysanders@gmail.com. You may also visit our website at www.gardensbysandersinc.com
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